earthen dam on a farm in Philadelphia . After the announcement was made to the group , Levy said they joined hands and sang a freedom song .
Because of the size of the seminary building , Meridian was picked to host the Meridian Freedom School Statewide Convention , bringing in delegates from all of the Freedom Schools across the state . The young people led the convention and participants drafted their own political platform for the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party , covering everything from segregated public accommodations and housing to the educational and economic opportunities for young Black Mississippians . At the end of the convention , the delegates established the foundation for the Mississippi Student Union , which was led by Jones , to continue actively working against segregated schools and public facilities .
The Freedom School only lasted a few more weeks in Meridian as the volunteers returned to their colleges in the north , but the Levys continued to stay heavily involved in social justice struggles . Mark Levy returned to Mississippi in 1965 and worked in Jackson on a school desegregation project . He taught social studies and Third World studies in junior high and college for about 10 years before spending more than 30 years working in the labor movement .
Remember the history While Freedom Summer did not result in a massive increase in registered Black voters in Mississippi that year , it played a significant role in leading to the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 .
Brown left Meridian following the memorial service for the civil rights workers and went to spend a couple of weeks with a minister ’ s family in New Jersey , but ended up staying . She earned an undergraduate degree at Bloomfield College and a graduate degree in social work at Rutgers University .
She remained in New Jersey for 18 years , first working at the Urban League of Essex County as the director of Health Services and later becoming the top administrator of the
Pictured : Sue Brown ( top ), Roscue Jones , Mark Levy and Jones
University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey , only the second Black female to hold the position . She also served as policy fellow for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation . In 1983 , Brown moved to Washington , D . C ., and worked on Capitol Hill and then for the District of Columbia .
Jones attempted to integrate Meridian High School in the fall 1964 but was denied admittance and graduated from T . J . Harris the following spring . He then went on to integrate Meridian Junior College in the fall 1965 . Afterward , he went to Yankton College in South Dakota to earn his bachelor ’ s degree , before joining the Marine Corps as an officer . After his military tour , he earned his master ’ s degree in education administration from Pepperdine University in California . When his grandfather became ill , he returned to Meridian and worked at Meridian Junior College as a counselor , then for the Meridian Housing Authority and later as an administrator for the Meridian Public School District . Left paralyzed from a car accident a few years ago , Jones currently resides at the VA Center in Houston , Texas .
“ People need to be reminded that history is not just things that happened in the past and remains in the past ,” Brown said . “ History is to be remembered for the accomplishments and the sacrifices that people made .”
She said it is important the younger generation understands and appreciates the sacrifices made by previous generations , giving them the freedoms many take for granted today . She said Schwerner , Chaney and Goodman were just three examples of many people who died around the country just to give Black Americans the right to vote and access to equal opportunities like everyone else .
“ It ’ s important to remember what happened because no one was able to be what they are today , in being successful in what they do , without standing on the shoulders of the people who came before them because of the lives and the sacrifices that were made ,” Brown said “ People died in order for this generation to be able to vote , and people don ’ t even care about voting .” M
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